Sammy writes:

You tell me. You're making the claim that it's good enough. If you're
wrong and people were to do what you say people would die.

If a non-pilot attempts to fly by hand because he's afraid the ILS isn't
precise enough, the likelihood of a crash is much greater.

So what you're saying is that you don't believe it will ever be in
service or delivered in any quantity?

I have my doubts. It may be another Concorde in that respect, with only
airlines like BA and AF buying the aircraft, because they have to.

...and since the approach changes due to conditions at the airport
including weather and traffic, there is no reason for a pilot to
program in an approach so far in advance.

Yes, but you can add an approach at any time.

Regardless you can just choose another approach.
Unfortunately that means programming it in, which completely
contradicts your little scenario that the entire flight to autoland
has been laid into the computer before takeoff.

I don't recall ever saying that the entire flight was programmed in advance.
In any case, entering the approach is just a matter of pushing a few buttons.

Yes they get filed as incidents.

Do they? By whom?

Rarely is enough when you're talking about tens thousands of flights a
day.

Rarely is rarely. No matter what the number of flights per day, the chances
of a given pilot encountering such a thing remain the same.

Possibly but it wouldn't have been programmed in from before takeoff.

So it can be programmed in flight.

Therefore your
inexperienced non-pilot has to learn to follow instructions to enter
the autolanding into the automated systems. Over a radio link there's
a good chance a mistake could be made.

You don't enter an autoland, you configure and execute it. That requires
pressing a few buttons. You enter an approach, but that also requires only
pressing a few buttons.

How many presses and what buttons?

It depends on the circumstances, the aircraft, etc. On a 747, once you have
an approach with an ILS runway selected, you need only press a single button
as you intercept the localizer and glide path. You can choose to capture the
localizer first and then the GS (my usual procedure). Once this is engaged,
you don't have to do anything else with the buttons. You should lower gear
and flaps at appropriate times, arm the spoilers, set your landing speed, and
a few other things, all of which are easy to explain over the radio.

Does your PMDG addon simulate autolanding?

Absolutely. After all, the real aircraft has it, and it's a very accurate
simulation.

How accurately does it claim to?

The principal developer used to be a pilot for Boeing Commercial Aircraft, as
I recall. I suppose he knows something about it.

How many button presses are required to select a STAR and enter in an
autolanding?

You don't enter autolandings, as I've said. It requires perhaps around six
button presses to select and activate a STAR.

What assumptions must be made about what's already been entered?

None, except for autoland, which assumes that you've selected a runway with
ILS (although you can enter the ILS frequency manually), and assumes that your
route will intercept the ILS at some point. The details vary by aircraft;
sometimes they even vary by airline, since there are a number of options that
can be chosen by each individual airline for its own fleet.

Wow your grasp of stats is even worse than your grasp of aviation.

What does that say about your grasp of autoland and FMC operations? If you
can comment on that, I can certainly comment on aviation and statistics.

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